JP2001190546A - Image processing device for x-ray ct apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily compare the same region of the same patient at different time when changes of progress of medical examination and treatment are observed. SOLUTION: The same region cannot be simply displayed by merely displaying two screens simultaneously because the number of images, image position, and image pitch differ. Then, the following operation is done for two files (image data) to be displayed: (1) when image data at the same position does not exist at all, image data is erased from a computing unit; (2) when the image data at the same position exists, it is left in respective computing units; and (3) when the data at the same position does not exist but the image at the same position is obtained by interpolation computing, the image at the same position is prepared by interpolating from front and rear images. The above processings are done to coincide a body position of the image data in the computing unit with the number and display these images simultaneously.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is to display images taken on different inspection dates on a monitor of a display device in correspondence with their body positions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 shows a conventional configuration of an image processing section in an X-ray CT apparatus. A reconstruction computing unit 1 for creating a CT image from measurement data, an analysis computing unit 2 for performing analysis processing on the reconstructed CT image, and a magnetic disk device 3 for storing image data. , A display device 4 for displaying a CT image, a microprocessing unit (hereinafter referred to as an MPU) 5 for controlling these arithmetic units and the whole CT device, a keyboard and a track for performing operations It consisted of an input device 6 such as a ball. Reference numeral 7 denotes a bus line for connecting each arithmetic unit and the like.

[0003] The basic data flow in the conventional device is as follows. The measurement data is converted into a CT image by the reconstruction arithmetic unit 1 and stored in the magnetic disk device 3. The stored CT image is subjected to processing (enlargement and the like) selected by the operator by the analyzing arithmetic unit 2 and displayed on the display device 4.

[0004] CT images to be stored are collectively stored for each patient at the time of imaging. Further, the operation of the input device 6 such as a trackball causes the magnetic disk device 3
Are successively called to the analyzing arithmetic unit 2 in the order of imaging (part order), and changes in the image due to the part are displayed on the display device 4 in real time.

[0005] The number of tomographic slices to be normally CT-scanned is a plurality of slices (from about 20 to a maximum of about 100) and used for diagnosis. Further, in order to observe the progress of medical treatment and the like, the same part is photographed over the same patient over time (up to one year to several years).

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An operator (doctor) wants to observe changes in the course of medical treatment and the like for the same patient. , It is necessary to compare the current CT images that are older than that. However, the current CT device can simultaneously display different images on the same screen of the display device,
There is no function to simultaneously display different images of the same part of the same patient in the past and present on a monitor in real time.
For this reason, it is very difficult for a doctor to compare the same part of the same patient. An object of the present invention is to solve this problem.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a reconstruction operation unit for creating a CT image from measurement data and an analysis unit for performing an analysis process on the reconstructed CT image. A computing unit for analyzing, a magnetic disk device for storing image data, a display device for displaying CT images, a microprocessing unit for controlling these computing devices and the like and for controlling the entire CT device, In an image processing apparatus for an X-ray CT apparatus comprising an input device such as a keyboard and a trackball for performing the above, the analyzing arithmetic unit includes at least two arithmetic units, and each of the plurality of image data to be compared is described above. The means for transferring the data to the analysis arithmetic unit is compared with the image of the common part of the body position (subject position) of the image data to be compared. If it does not exist, there is no means for erasing the image data from the computing unit, and if there is image data at the same position, means for leaving the image data on each computing unit, there is no data at the same position. If an image at the same position can be obtained by interpolation calculation or the like, means for creating an image at the same position by interpolating from the preceding and following images, and these means determine the body position and the number of image data in the arithmetic unit It is constituted by means for matching and means for sequentially displaying these images simultaneously on two screens based on trackball information.

[0008] With this configuration, the arithmetic unit provides:
The body position and the number of images to be compared become the same, and these images are simultaneously called from two pieces of information of one trackball to two analysis computing units, and the image change of the matched part is compared with the display device 4 in real time. Images 2
Can be displayed.

[0009]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. Reconstruction computing unit 1 for creating a CT image from measurement data, analysis computing units 2a and 2b for performing analysis processing on the reconstructed CT image, and this computing unit can process two images simultaneously Therefore, a two-system parallel configuration is used. A magnetic disk device 3 for storing image data, a display device 4 for displaying CT images, a microprocessing unit (MPU) 5 for controlling these computing units and the like and for controlling the entire CT device; It comprises an input device 6 such as a keyboard and a trackball for performing. Reference numeral 7 denotes a bus line for connecting each arithmetic unit and the like.

In the above hardware configuration, the magnetic disk device 3 stores past CT images of each part of a large number of patients and a current CT image corresponding to each part.
As shown in FIG. 2, the past CT image data a of a certain patient A is stored in the magnetic disk area 20. The image data a includes image numbers 1, 2, 3, 4,... And corresponding pitches of the patient imaging table, that is, pitch numbers 10, 20, 30, 40,.
... are attached. On the other hand, the area 21 of the magnetic disk 3 stores the current CT image data b of the same patient A.
Has accumulated. This data b has image numbers 1, 2,
With respect to 3,..., The pitch numbers 20, 40, 6 of the table representing the patient's body positions corresponding to these, respectively.
Has zero. As described above, the data a and b stored in the magnetic disk 3 are taken into the computing units 2a and 2b, respectively, in accordance with a command from the MPU 5. The data a is a basic image to be compared with the data b, and this image is displayed on the monitor 4 of the display device through the arithmetic unit 2a. The data b is compared with the data a by the calculators 2a and 2b, and the matched data is displayed together with the data a on the monitor 4, the unmatched data a is deleted by the calculator 2a, and the image numbers 1c, As shown in FIG. 2C, an image subjected to the interpolation processing can be obtained. For image number 1c, there is no data at the same table position in data a, but interpolation data at the same position 30 is obtained by interpolation or the like, and for image number 2c, interpolation data at body position 50 is obtained. Is shown. These interpolation data are created by interpolating from the preceding and following images. Image number 1 of these interpolation data
c and 2c are also compared with the data a and displayed on the monitor 4.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, the past image data a of the same patient A
Is compared with the current image data b (step 30).
In this case, the operator checks whether the positions (table pitch) on the table at the time of measurement are the same in the comparative image data a and b. When the positions are the same, it means that the past and present image data a and b match (the body position is the same), so the data a and b are left in the calculators 2a and 2b, and these image data a and b are stored. Display on monitor 4 (step 3
1). If the table position at the time of measurement is not the same, that is, if it cannot be set to the same position as the past imaging position of the patient A, the operator designates the past and present same cross section of the patient A and sets this to the reference of the table position The body position is set as a point (step 32). Here, the image data a and b are compared (step 33). If there is no image data at the same position, this image data is deleted from the arithmetic unit 2a (step 34). For example, since the image corresponding to the body position 20 of the image number 1 of the image data b in FIG. 2 does not exist in the data a, the image corresponding to the body position 10 of the image number 1 is deleted by the computing unit 2a.

Next, when image data at the same position exists, these image data are left in the arithmetic units 2a and 2b,
The information is displayed on the monitor 4 (step 35).

For example, in FIG. 2, image data a, b
Since the body positions 20 and 40 of the image data coincide with each other, the image numbers of the coincided images, that is, the images of the image numbers 2 and 4 in the image data a and the images of the image numbers 1 and 2 in the image data b are respectively processed by the arithmetic unit 2a , 2b, and displays the matched images on the monitor 4 (step 35).

Further, if there is no image data at the same position, but an image is obtained by an interpolation operation (step 36), the interpolated image is compared with the image data a (step 37). For example, in FIG. 2, the image signals 1c and 2c are generated by interpolating the images of the image numbers 1, 2, and 2, 3 before and after the image signals 1c and 2c. Therefore, they match the image numbers 3 and 5 of the image data a, and therefore these images are displayed on the monitor through the computing units 2a and 2b (step 38). By performing such processing, the body position of the image data to be compared is matched with the number of the image data. Then, this image is continuously displayed on the monitor 4 on two screens simultaneously by operating a trackball or the like. The display of the two screens is such that the body positions of the image data match. If there is no matching data even after interpolation, an error display "Comparable" is displayed (step 34).

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, the two image files can be updated simultaneously by operating one trackball or the like, and the displayed body parts of the two images match each other. The (physician) can easily observe changes in medical treatment and the like for the same patient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an X-ray CT image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reconstruction arithmetic unit 2 Analysis arithmetic unit 3 Disk 4 Display device 5 Microcomputer 6 Keyboard 7 Bus line

Claims (1)

[Claims] A reconstruction arithmetic unit for creating a CT image from measurement data, an analysis arithmetic unit for performing an analysis process on the reconstructed CT image, a magnetic disk device for storing image data, An image processing apparatus for an X-ray CT apparatus comprising a display device for displaying a CT image, a microprocessing unit for controlling these arithmetic units and controlling the entire CT apparatus, and an input device for performing operations. In the apparatus, the analyzing arithmetic unit has at least two
Means for transferring a plurality of image data to be compared to the above-mentioned analysis arithmetic unit, and comparing the image of the common part of the body position (subject position) of the image data to be compared to the same position. When there is no image data at all, means for erasing the image data from the arithmetic unit, and when image data at the same position exists, means for leaving the image data on each arithmetic unit In the case where an image at the same position can be obtained by interpolation or the like without data, there are means for creating an image at the same position by interpolating from the preceding and following images, and the means of the image data in the arithmetic unit by these means. An X-ray CT apparatus, comprising: means for matching the position and the number thereof; and means for sequentially displaying these images on two screens simultaneously in accordance with input information input from the input device. An image processing device.